Tag Archives: Lord’s Supper

The Table of the Lord: Passover

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The first and greatest of the annual feasts of the Jews was Passover. By Jesus’ day, Passover had gone through some changes, which we can see in the way that Jesus took the Passover. For example, while the Law states that Passover is to be eaten in haste, later observers reclined at table. Elements were added to the meal, like cups of wine and a sauce made of bitter herbs.

The focus of the Passover in the first century had also shifted slightly. The meal was a time of celebration and thanksgiving, remembering God’s deliverance of Israel from bondage. However, it was also an expression of community, an identification with the people of Israel and the history of that people. Participation in the Passover was a participation in a stream of history going back to the early days of the nation. Also, the meal had come to focus on the expectation of the coming of the Messiah and the establishment of God’s new kingdom on earth. These elements continue to be focused even today.

As we look at the Lord’s Supper, we should see its connection with the Passover. At the same time, we should not overdo that connection. Note that Paul speaks of Jesus as the Passover lamb in 1 Corinthians 5:7, yet makes no reference to the Passover when discussing the Lord’s Supper in chapters 10 and 11.

The Passover served as the backdrop for the establishment of the Lord’s Supper, a fact which Matthew, Mark and Luke make clear. Understanding the Passover helps us to understand what went on the night Jesus was betrayed. The night that He took bread and wine and forever changed the way that we look at them.

The Table of the Lord: Altar and Table

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In looking at the verses in my previous post, I commented that the fellowship offerings were a community meal. That was probably obvious to most people, but I was a Christian for over 30 years before I knew that. I thought that most of the meat was burned on the altar and that maybe the one making the offering got some. Wrong! The Law states that the meat must be eaten within a short period of time, which varies according to the sacrifice. With hundreds of pounds of meat to be eaten in a day or two, by necessity this offering would be a community event.

In Argentina, they are famous for their asados. In traditional meals, they calculate 700 grams of meat per person; that’s about a pound and a half, for those metrically challenged. When the family wants to celebrate, when the church wants to fellowship, when friends gather after a time apart, they share an asado. It took me a while to realize that many sacrifices in the Old Testament were community asados. All I had in mind was the altar, the time when the animal was killed.

By making the offering something that included the whole community, the individual’s worship was far from individualistic. His motive of thanksgiving or the vow that he made or his desire to praise God, all of it became known and shared. Everyone knew that God was being worshiped. Everyone participated in that act of worship. That’s why participating in pagan sacrifice meals was such a big deal in the New Testament. You can’t knowingly participate in the meal without participating in the sacrifice as well.

In John Mark Hicks’ book on the Lord’s Supper, he emphasizes the difference between the altar and the table. It’s an important difference. Paul calls the Lord’s Supper “the table of the Lord,” not the altar of the Lord. The sacrifice has already been made. We are sharing in a remembrance of that sacrifice by eating together at the table.

The Table of the Lord: Old Testament Meals

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All right, let’s get started. In an earlier post, I talked about the importance of meals in the worship of the Old Testament. In fact, I don’t think that it’s an exaggeration to say that Old Testament worship was structured around meals, particularly the annual feasts which the Israelites celebrated.

Here’s a brief summary of what we see in the Old Testament:

  1. Covenants were confirmed with sacrifices, followed by meals
    • Genesis 26:28-31; 31:22-55
    • Exodus 24:3-11 (Here’s a post talking about this passage’s relationship with the Lord’s Supper)
  2. “Peace offerings” or “fellowship offerings” involved community meals
    • Leviticus 3:1-17 and 7:11-38
    • Deuteronomy 12:6-7; 27:7
    • The psalms speak often of these events
      • Psalm 50:14,23; 56:13; 107:22; 116:13-19
  3. These community sacrifices were held at important times in the nation’s history:
    • Covenant renewal at Mt. Ebal (Deuteronomy 27:1-8; Joshua 8:30-35)
    • Coronation of Saul (1 Samuel 11:15)
    • Movement of the Ark to David’s tent (1 Chronicles 16:1-3),
    • Dedication of the altar (2 Sam. 24:25; 1 Chronicles 21:27-22:1)
    • Dedication of Solomon’s temple (2 Chronicles 7:1-10)
    • Covenant renewal under Asa (2 Chronicles 15:8-15)
    • Purification of Hezekiah’s temple (2 Chronicles 29:27-36)
    • Hezekiah’s Passover (2 Chronicles 30:22-27)
    • Dedication of Mannaseh’s altar (2 Chronicles 33:16)
    • Consecration of the walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 12:35-43)
  4. Paul relates the Lord’s Supper to these sacrificial meals
    • 1 Corinthians 10:16-21

Throughout the history of God’s people, their relationship with Him and their relationship with one another has been shaped by shared meals. It shouldn’t surprise us to find that these times of sharing would continue under the New Covenant. Note, though, that the emphasis is on community. These are not individualistic, sit-in-the-corner-and-close-your-eyes moments. These are community celebrations. We’ll see that the New Testament repeats that emphasis.

Coming soon

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I’m not able to get past the planning stages on this one yet, but I want to tell you where I’m going. I want to spend some time looking yet again at the Lord’s Supper. Some of what I want to share was influenced by John Mark Hicks’ Come To the Table, though I will admit that I don’t fully agree with his conclusions. Some will reflect on things that I’ve already shared. I just want to use you guys to help me clarify my thoughts some.

So stay tuned. I’ll get started in the next few days.

Final thoughts on 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

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“So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other. If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment. And when I come I will give further directions.” (1Cor 11:33-34)

As we conclude this section, we see once again that the corrective for this whole situation is “wait for each other.” Please note that Paul says “when you come together.” I’ve heard many argue from this passage either (1) Paul forbids Christians eating at the church building; or (2) Paul forbids the combining of the Lord’s Supper with a meal. Neither of these is sustainable. The first one doesn’t work because they weren’t using church buildings at that point in history anyway. Paul’s comment about being hungry and eating at home needs to be read in light of the previous verse. He is saying that hunger is no argument for not being able to wait; if you can’t wait, eat something before you come. Don’t spoil the fellowship meal.

The second argument also seems to overlook verse 33. If they weren’t supposed to have a common meal, Paul wouldn’t give them commands as to what to do when they ate together. If they weren’t supposed to have a meal with the Lord’s Supper, Paul would have said that! As they say in Argentina, sometimes we look for the fifth leg on the cat, we look for something that has no reason to be there. Let’s give the New Testament writers some credit; if a problem needed to be addressed, they addressed it. They didn’t encrypt answers in a multitude of passages that have to be tied together by Greek scholars. What needed to be said was said.

What we need to take away from this passage is the horizontal nature of the Lord’s Supper. We do not take it in isolation. We take it as a body, in an act of the body. Let’s not get so caught up in other details that we miss the main point of this passage. It’s pretty simple, actually. When you eat, eat together. Wait for one another. Be aware of one another.